The Man Who Ate Everything: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Food, But Were Afraid to Ask

''I have yet to meet anyone who hasn''t adored this book'' Nigella Lawson

''Absolutely not to be missed'' Spectator

''Like all great food writing, The Man Who Ate Everything celebrates much more than the journey from plate to palate . . . An excellent investment.'' Time Out

Jeffrey Steingarten''s award-winning collection of essays on food.

Jeffrey Steingarten is to food writing what Bill Bryson is to travel writing. Whether he is hymning the joys of the perfect chip, discussing the taste of beef produced from Japanese cows which are massaged daily and fed on sake, or telling us the scientific reasons why salad is a ''silent killer'', his humour and his love of good food never fail.

The questions he asks will challenge everything you assume you know about what you eat, yet his characteristic wit imparts masses of revelatory information in the most palatable of ways. As well as his outrageously honest and hilarious writing, you''ll find recipes including Perfumed Rice with Lamb and Lentils, Salt-and Pepper Shrimp and Lemon Granita.

A must for everyone who''s ever enjoyed a meal - this book contains everything you ever wanted to know about food, but were too hungry to ask . . .

When Jeffrey Steingarten was made food critic of Vogue in 1989, he began by systematically learning to like all the food he had previously avoided. From clams to Greek food to Indian desserts with the consistency of face cream, Steingarten undertook an extraordinary program of self-inflicted behavior modification to prepare himself for his new career. He describes the experience in this collection's first piece, before setting out on a series of culinary adventures that take him around the world.

It's clear that Vogue gave Steingarten carte blanche to write on whatever subjects tickled his taste buds, and the result is a frequently hilarious collection of essays that emphasize good eating over an obsession with health. "Salad, the Silent Killer" is a catalog of the toxins lurking in every bowl of raw vegetables, while "Fries" follows a heroic attempt to create the perfect French fry--cooked in horse fat. Whether baking sourdough bread in his Manhattan loft or spraying miso soup across a Kyoto restaurant, Steingarten is an ideal guide to the wilder reaches of gastronomy, a cross between M.F.K. Fisher and H.L. Mencken.